Apparatus for making up trains.



PATENTBD H1321, 1905.

W. J. PATTERSON.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING UP TRAINS.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES.

No. 783,130. l, Y PATBNTED PEB. 21, 1905.

W. J. PATTERSON.

APPARATUS POR MAKING UP TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED LIAR. 26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG. 2

WITNESSES. A INVENTOR. ym. mw @im W @14V waz., @Lag Y L @C/wml iliTEn STaTEs VILLIAM J. PATTERSON,

Patented February 21, 1905.

ATENT OEETEE.,

OE PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HEYL & PATTERSON, INCORPORATED, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING UP TRAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,130, dated February 21, -1905.

Application filed March 26, `1904. Serial No. 200,211.

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Be it known that I, VILLIAM J. PATTERSON, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, 4have invent- 5 ed a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Making Up Trains; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof.

My invention relates to apparatus for mak- IO ing up trains of empty coal-cars.

In the miningl of coal it is customary to load the coal in cars in the mine and run the cars out by an arrangement of tracks to the tipple where the coal is dumped. The empty cars I5 are then run off onto tracks and by car-hauls brought back to a point where the track slopes down, and the cars by their own gravity are brought into contact with each other and made up into trains. This method of making up 2O trains of empty cars is very injurious to the cars, for the reason that as the cars descend an incline their speed is accelerated and each succeedinggear bumps into the preceding car with sufiicient force to jar the cars violently, and

the result is a severe wear andtear upon the cars.

The object of my invention is to provide a device for making up trains of empty coalcars whereby the cars move along gradually on the track on which they are made up, so

that cach succeeding car does not move rapidly into contact with those that have preceded, so as to collide violently therewith.

To these ends my invention comprises, gen# erally stated, in connection with a coal-handling' plant, a return-track for the empty cars, said track having usually an upwardly-im clined portion and mechanism for carrying the cars up said inclined portion and a substantially horizontal platform at the upper end of said inclined track where the car is disconnected from said hauling mechanism, whereby said car comes to a standstill and the next succeeding car pushes said ear along the track where the train is to be made up.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a side elevation of my improved train-making device. Eig. 2 is a plan View thereof.

Like numerals indicate like parts in each of the figures.

As my invention relates solely to the making up of the trains of empty ears, it has been deemed necessary only to illustrate this particular portion of the coal-handling device.

Accordingly the numeral 2 designates the return-track along' which the empty cars are 6U brought from the tipple, said track being slightly inclined, so that the cars travel by gravity. The upwardly-inclined section 3 of the return-track is supported upon a suitable 'trestle-work LI, and in order to convey the 65 empty cars up this inclined portion 3 I employ a suitable car-haul. At the upper end of the trestle work 4, arranged within suitable bearings, is the shaft 5. Upon this shaft 5 is mounted the sprocket-wheel 6. This shaft 70 5 may be driven by any suitable power. At the lower end of the trestle t and journaled within suitable bearings is the shaft 7, and mounted on said shaft is the sprocket-wheel 8. An endless chain 9 engages the sprocket- 75 wheels 6 and 8, said chain being provided at intervals with the projections or dogs IO. These dogs l0 are adapted to engage the projections Il on the cars l2. The chain 9 is supported froml below by the channel-bar I3, within which said chain travels andl by which it is prevented from sagging.

At the lower end of the trestle 4 are the idle rollers 14, arranged at suitable intervals apart, said rollers being journaled in the arms I5, said arms being mounted on the shafts 16 and the -free ends of said arms carrying the weights I7. These weights 17 act to hold the rollers I4 normally up in position(indicated in Fig. 1,) and upon theserollers the chain 9 90 travels. Adjacent to the upper end of the trestle 4C are the idle rollers 18, which support the chain at this point, and from this point on the chain 9 travels in substantially a horizontal plane, as well las the upper section of the track 19. The upper end of the trestle 4 and the operative mechanism of the car-haul are inclosed 'in the house 20. The track 19 extends out beyond the house'QO for a suitable distance according to the length of trains to be made up on said track, and while said track is substantially horizontal it may have a very slight downward grade, although not suicient to cause the cars to move at an accelerated speed when one car is moved by the other in manner hereinafter fully set forth.

When trains of coal-cars are to be made up, the empty cars as the coal is discharged therefrom are brought back by the track 2 to the foot of the inclined track 3, whereupon said cars are engaged-by the projections 10 on the chain 9. As the said cars travel onto the track 3 over the track 2 with some impetus and it is desired to have the projections l0 engage with the said cars gradually, so as to relieve the strain on the chain, the projections 11 on said cars will come in contact with the dogs 10 on the chain, and owing to the depressible idle rollers 14 said chain will be pushed down and the car allowed to ride over the dog 10 until the speed of the car has been checked, so that the dogs 10 cannot engage the projections 11 on the cars too suddenly, so as to relieve the strain on the chain. The weighted arms 15 bring' said rollers 14 and the chain 9 back to normal position as soon as the dogs have taken hold of the cars. The cars are carried at a slow speed up the inclined track 3 by the chain 9, and said cars pass from the track 3 onto the horizontal track 18. The car is freed from the chain 9 just as the dogs 13 pass around the sprocket-wheels 6, and the car thereupon stops on the track 18 just beyond the sprocket-wheel 6. The next succeeding car being carried up in the same manner pushes the preceding car along. the track 18 a carslength; but as the movement of the succeeding car is even and gradual it does not collide forcibly with the preceding car, but moves gradually into contact therewith and simply pushes the preceding car the distance of its length along the track 18. In like manner other succeeding' cars are brought up and push the preceding cars along the track 18 until the train has been made up. In this manner sudden jarring and colliding of the cars of the trains is avoided and the lives of the cars increased.

It is apparent that while I have-illustrated and described my invention with reference to the making up of the trains of empty cars at the upper end of the car-haul the invention may be applied equally as well to making up the trains of empty cars at the foot of-the carhaul.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a device for making up trains of empty coal-cars, the combination with the returntrack, of mechanism for hauling the cars along said track, means for automatically releasing the car from said hauling mechanism, and a substantially horizon tal track connecting with said return-track at the point of release, whereby each car released will advance the preceding car a cars length.

2. In a device for making up trains of empty coal-cars, the combination with the returntrack, of an upwardly-inclined section, mechanism for hauling the cars up said inclined section, and a substantially horizontal section of track at the upper end of said inclined section, means for releasing the car from said hauling mechanism at said horizontal section, whereby each succeeding car, as it is released from the hauling mechanism, pushes forward the preceding car in its path a cars length.

3. In a device for makingup trains of empty coal-cars, the combination with the returntrack of an upwardly-inclined section, an endless chain arranged in connection with said inclined section andA adapted to haul the cars up said section and a horizontal track-section at the upper end of said inclined track-section, the upper end of said chain being within said horizontal track-section, and means for releasing the cars from said chain 'at said horizontal section, whereby each car released will advance the preceding car a cars length.-

In testimony whereof I, the said VILLIAM J. PATTERSON, have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM J. PATTERSON.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. ToTTEN, G. KREMER. 

